Our Time is Now— Our Rights, Our Future

Today marks the International Day of the Girl Child—a day to celebrate the achievements of girls around the world and recommit to ensuring their rights.

This year’s theme is “Our Time is Now— Our Rights, Our Future.” And there’s no time like the present to stand up for girls’ rights and make sure they have every opportunity to reach their full potential.

Why the international day of the girl-child is important

The International Day of the Girl Child is observed on October 11th every year. It is a special day set aside to celebrate girls, raise awareness about the challenges they face, and advocate for their rights and future.

Globally, girls face many challenges that boys do not. They are more likely to be out of school, married as children, subjected to violence, and trafficked. They are also less likely to have their voices heard and their rights respected.

The United Nations General Assembly designated October 11th as the International Day of the Girl Child to draw attention to these issues and encourage action to address them.

On this day, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering girls everywhere and standing up for their rights. We recognize that investing in girls is essential for achieving a more sustainable, peaceful future for all. And we call on all stakeholders to do their part in ensuring that every girl can reach her full potential.

Why do we need to invest in the Girl-Child?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by world leaders in 2015, provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and addresses a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities while tackling climate change and environmental protection.

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Ensuring equality for women is the smart thing to do.

Investing in girls’ education is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty. When girls are educated, their countries prosper. An educated girl will:

• Grow up to be healthy and productive
• Earn an income that she reinvests back into her family and community
• Become a powerful force against disease
• delaying marriage and childbearing until she is ready

The future of the girl-child

We are a generation of girls who are no longer going to wait patiently for someone else to fix the world around us—we are going to do it ourselves. We are the generation of girls who are coming together to demand that our rights are respected and our voices are heard. We are united by our belief that every girl deserves the chance to reach her full potential—no matter where she lives, what she looks like, or how much money her family has.

This is our time. This is our moment. And together, we will make sure that our time is now and our future is bright

When we invest in girls and young women, we invest in the future.

Our time is now!

The Sustainable Development Goals provide a roadmap for a better future for all. But they will only be met if we address the needs and rights of the most vulnerable and excluded. And there is no more vulnerable and excluded group than adolescent girls.

Rhealyz Global Empowerment Initiative has been working with girls to ensure that they are equipped with the relevant knowledge, skills, and opportunities that ensure that they are empowered to become all they are meant to be.

Our Girls’ Capacity Attainment Program (Girls’ CAP) is targeted towards ensuring that they are equipped with the knowledge about their sexual and reproductive health and rights and also advocates against gender-based violence in society. The girls are being raised to become leaders in their communities.

We are calling on world leaders and different stakeholders to invest in programs that support girls and protect their rights. And we are asking you to join us in speaking out and taking action to make sure that adolescent girls everywhere can reach their potential.

What can you do?

• Speak out: Join our campaign and help us raise awareness about child marriage, female genital mutilation, gender-based violence and other barriers facing adolescent girls.
• Take action: Show your support for adolescent girls by taking action on the issues that matter to them. You can volunteer to be a part of our organization
• Donate: Help us continue our work supporting adolescent girls around the world by donating today. You can reach us via +234 813 311 0479

Damilola Oluwadahun

Executive Director

Rhealyz Global Empowerment Initiative

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